Two Writers under One Roof

 

I used to be so jealous of writer Marge Percy, author of one of my favorite books Small Changes.

Why?

She was married to another writer Ira Wood. It wasn't that all writing couples were wonderful. Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath were a diaster, but my imagination had them exchanging ideas.

I also wasn't particularly interested in being married, that is until Rick Adams, came back  into my life in a whole new dimension.

We had been professional colleagues as wordsmiths, lost track, but one day he showed up in Geneva. The cliche, the rest is history, describes it. I never expected not just to find my soul mate in ordinary life but in my writing life as well. Although I've had other writing mates, I never expected to have a writing mate within a few feet of me almost all the time.

We spend most of our days writing: over the last year we have produced three books. Mine was an anthology of my short stories and poetry, A Corporate Virgin (fiction) and 300 Unsung Women (non-fiction). His is The Robot in the Simulator: Artificial Intelligence in Aviation Training (non fiction). 

As part of the process, we would share problems, ideas, and frustrations over meals, in the car, on buses and in bed. When one of us was stumped, the other would offer a suggestion, usually finding the answer that had escaped us. 

Sometimes, one of us would make a suggestion that would increase the work we needed to do. It made our books better.

When we nailed something, we'd have to tell the other, sometimes to be celebrated with popcorn, ice cream or champagne and even a fire in the fireplace on our patio.

Mostly we understood what the other was going through and could offer support. As the MasterCard advert says: "Priceless."

It is now our publishers' chore to turn the manuscripts into the finished books. 

I love my husband for many reasons but never in my life did I expect to have someone under my roof who understood the agony and the victory of stringing words together.

Check Rick's website www.aviationvoices.com

See all of D-L's books at www.dlnelsonwriter.com.